


A Collection of Kedgeup

by BlueDysania



Series: Collections of [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Merskeleton, Pre-Relationship, Suicide Attempt, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-08-19 05:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16528043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDysania/pseuds/BlueDysania
Summary: scenes of varying length and genre featuring Edge and Sans!tags will be added with each chapter, warnings in the Notes if needed, as well as a NSFW in the title of any chapter that requires it.Ch 3: There is a time for redemption. That time is over.





	1. Vampire, Hearth, Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a prompt for kedgeup by [SansyFresh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh)

When the sun touched the horizon, the modest cabin was already filled with the sound of sizzling and scent of herbs and spices. Edge, dressed and ready for the night ahead, stood at the stove and turned off the element. Plating his hearty meal of eggs, milk, and sausage links, he looked out the window to judge the time.

Estimating a mere hour now until full sunset, Edge sat down and ate his meal in a timely and silent manner. He had roughly two hours then. Even _changed_ as he was, Sans was still a lazybones, he thought fondly.

After breakfast, he cleaned the kitchen and put away the spice and herb jars. With time to spare, he grabbed his pack and double checked the supplies he would need while patrolling the village. One of those items was a chilled bottle full of vibrant red liquid, slightly luminescent, tucked securely into a spare cloth.

A creaking from behind the bedroom door alerted to him to the stirring of his mate and he hung his pack and cloak on the hanger next to the front door. He turned just as Sans shuffled out of their bedroom, blinking slitted white eyelights of sleep.

"Good evening."

Sans smiled, rubbing at a socket, "mmmn, evenin' Edge."

Edge made his way to the sofa and sat down. Its surface was warm from the fire he'd started in the hearth. He held out a beckoning hand, "How did you sleep?"

"like the _dead_." Sans said wryly, and Edge rolled his eyes, curling his finger a bit more demandingly. "you?"

Sans slid into his lap, a slight hue of red starting to bleed into the white of his eyelights.

"Very well. We're going to be patrolling the village as well as the forest tonight. A theft was reported today and Red left a note saying the suspect was seen on the outskirts of the village." Edge explained as he unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt and peeling one side downwards. "I doubled the nutrients in my breakfast so take your fill."

When Sans did not move, cool fingers brushing against his exposed vertebrae, Edge cocked his head slightly. The uncertain look on Sans' face told the story.

"Sans. I regret nothing. It is my duty and pleasure to have you healthy. And happy. Eat."

Sans sighed and pressed his teeth to his cheek and then lowered them to his neck. Two quick pricks of pain and a numbing sensation melted through the area which he appreciated. They would both need to be alert tonight and as much as he enjoyed the slightly amorous affects of Sans' bite, they could spare no magic for now.

He stroked the back of Sans' skull as he listened to the audible drags of liquid magic being drawn from him. He would have to reinforce their bond when they returned home. Letting Sans feed directly from his Soul should be ample reward for the lesson he would reteach tonight. Edge would not let any self-loathing drown his mate again.

His hold on Sans tightened as a memory that haunted his dreams flashed in his mind.

Nothing could erase the sight of Sans standing in the middle of the yard, staring toward the sunrise. The expression of resignation, of peace had struck him cold. It had been the day he'd been shaken from his one-track path of revenge against the monster who'd turned Sans. He would always look but Edge had dropped everything that morning, dragging his mate into the safety of their cabin and demanding, ordering that Sans never do such a thing again.

He'd neglected Sans in his time of need once and promised the starving, lost vampire that he would never do so again.

Sans pulled back with a pleased hum, licking red-stained teeth, "yum." He hummed with a wink.

Edge rebuttoned his shirt and wiped away a stray droplet from Sans' chin, "One day… you will learn manners while eating."

"but that's what I have you for." Sans said, smiling widely, eyelights once more his natural white shade. Edge couldn't help but smile back.

Their lives had been turned upside down that one night a year ago. He'd nearly lost his dear mate from his own lust for revenge. He'd given up his life in the village, his post in the Royal Guard, and moving out from the apartment he'd shared with his big brother. Red was always present in his own way but Edge was eager for the day that Sans could be around company for longer periods of time. Sans too had given up the easy friendship he'd had with Red.

The moonlight filtered through the windows now, and Edge thought Sans looked beautiful.

He regretted nothing about what his life had become. The sun was no contest to the light in his arms.

"COME." He stood, Sans still in his arms, "THE NIGHT WILL NOT WAIT."


	2. Fin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A once thought extinct creature surfaces and when the worst happens Edge need to make a choice. Death, freedom, or captivity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Mild depiction of injury.
> 
> No death.

The merskeleton broke the surface slowly a good two miles away. Large eyelights scanned the shore cautiously and the audial fins twitched upwards and to the side, listening intently. It lingered in place for ten minutes before slowly moving in the direction of a decent tidepool, open to the ocean like a ring.

Hidden in the fauna not far away, a camera clicked near-silently as the merskeleton buoyed itself over the small lip of the tidepool and into the shallow water within it. More photos were taken as the creature moved about in the water. It’s strangely small size contrasted against the maturity of it's bone structure. Though it proved an advantage in the shallows carved by nature and time. It allowed the merskeleton more mobility in the small space.

A few mussels were plucked from the tidepool and set onto a piece of rock dry of water. A few more minutes of looking about and a shiny red and brown crab was pulled out as well. A soft trilling matched the smile on the merskeleton's face, apparently pleased with it's catch.

The monster operating the camera waited, hoping that the merskeleton would not simply take it's haul and swim away. Stories told of mer-creatures enjoying sunlight as much as the depths and many stories told of paths crossed while a merskeleton feasted in the shallows. So far, the merskeleton had taken it's meals back down into the water.

This would be the fourth time, that he'd seen it anyway, and Edge hoped it would linger for a while longer. When he'd first seen it, he had had trouble believing that it was really there. He was a hunter of dangerous creatures and the rumors of a sea creature glowing in the sea off this islet's shore had drawn him here. He'd thought to hunt a sea serpent and found it strange that there had been no death in the waters yet. To imagine he'd find a merskeleton, known for being a peaceful if isolated species, instead. It was almost a dream come true.

They were thought to have gone extinct hundreds of years ago.

A small splash had him refocusing his camera and he grinned, uncharacteristically for him, at the sight of the merskeleton hauling itself onto a flat sheet of rock and stretching itself to the sunlight, tail fins still drifting lazily in the water.

Edge quickly took another set of pictures. He would be able to tell the exact size of it once he printed out the photos but even from here, he could tell his initial hypothesis was correct. This merskeleton, while mature, was actually quite tiny. Letting his camera sit on a towel beside him, he drew his binoculars and took a careful look at it's body, committing the details to memory so he could compare them to the historical data. He wished he'd brought more high-tech equipment, but he dared not get closer for a clearer view.

They'd been depicted to be the size of a normal adult monster from waist up and the tail at least the same size if not longer. Perhaps evolution had made them smaller to survive in a world with greater surveillance. The fins weren't simplistic either. It had audial fins, a dorsal fin lining it's spine, and a rather fetching fin at the end of it's tail. They looked almost similar to betta fish, even the coloring of lighter to darker near the ends. Edge made sure to note that the dorsal and audial finds were 'standing' up and firm despite being out of water.

The merskeleton took it's time and as the minutes passed into a half-an-hour, Edge took a break from writing down his observations to simply watch. The mussels had been easily opened and consumed and now it was very carefully picking the crab apart, plucking fresh meat with nimble fingers. The look of happiness and occasional musical sounds conveyed it's enjoyment. Afterwards, the merskeleton pushed the empty shells and bits into the water below and yawned. It lay it's head down and through the binoculars he sees large sockets lower until only a sliver of light peeked out. Resting with a full stomach.

Edge looked at his notebook, full of his sightings and theories and conclusions from the past month. He'd been away from headquarters long enough and he knew it was time to return lest they send out a search party for him. It was also time that he made a hard decision.

He had to inform his fellow hunters of this sighting. It was his duty to catalogue any creature he came across. However… this was an unusual case. Merskeletons were thought to have died out centuries ago and they were not known for being isolated like their siren cousins. The entire month he'd been watching, he'd not seen a single other merskeleton or sea creature around.

Should he try and catch it? Edge sat up and dusted off his shirt as he shook his head to his own question. And do what with it? No one had ever had a merskeleton in captivity before, perhaps because they did not fare well in glass boxes. Some creatures could not be caged, even for their own safety.

It was not something Edge liked to do either.

But… if a human caught wind of this creature. Edge could already see this small wonder of the sea trapped in an aquarium in the middle of some smog-ridden city. Nowhere near the open waters, torn from it's home to be an amusement to the masses.

Would it be merciful to give it a nicer cage? The sanctuary he and his friends had created would be so much better a fate than being caught by humans.

A quiet splash and Edge hurriedly looked through the binoculars again. He was relieved to see it still in view. It was playing on the waves it seemed, rising upwards and then rolling with the little crests. A piece of seaweed was being tossed about, that was what had stirred it from rest, and it seemed to chase after the piece of water fauna. For play or practice, Edge didn't know.

He did know how it look once it caught the seaweed between it's blunt teeth and returned to the flat rock, fiddling and nibbling at it. It was happy; and _free_.

Edge took a few more pictures and then gathered his things into his duffel bag. He would leave it be, he decided. But he would give it a helping hand. He would be the hunter he was and scare it from the shore. Hopefully enough that it would not so easily try and approach such an open beach again.

To help it survive, Edge thought as he grabbed his rifle. It was loaded with tranquilizer darts, no need for bullets with this particular creature, besides he had a handgun for that. Even if he grazed it by accident, it would be a little sleepy but able to get away.

Edge stepped out of his cover and took aim a few feet shy of the merskeleton.

A double-echo gunshot filled the air and a scream, musical even in its pain, sounded in the silence. Edge felt disorientated for a brief moment. That hadn't sounded like the whizz of a dart. He hadn't even hit the trigger yet!

A bright flash of color caught his attention and he was stunned to see a fishing boat with two humans on it coming into view. They were hollering and cheering, guns raised in the air. They'd _shot_ at the merskeleton with live ammunition.

Edge was already running as he looked to the flat rock. The merskeleton was still though it's body was curled tightly. Edge ran until he hit the water and even as he cleaved through with powerful kicks, he could hear the rattling from it's bones. He hauled himself onto the rock from water that was turning a faint reddish color.

Kneeling over the merskeleton, Edge found himself struck by it's diminutive size. He could see now what he had not been able to with the equipment he'd been using. The bones were grayer and looked… dull, with tiny microfractures here and there. The tail was not in very great condition either. The surface of the tail looked mottled in places and he could very faintly see the outline of bones within it, something he knew he should not see in a healthy merskeleton.

That was nothing compared to the shredded fins at the base of it's tail and he swallowed hard as he realized he could not even push the merskeleton into the water and hope it might escape that way. It would not be able to swim properly if at all. The damage to it had to have been caused by a bullet but he could see a wound, the source of the blood, a few inches upward that had torn away a chunk of the ecto-flesh the size of a baseball.

A soft whine rose from the trembling creature and Edge automatically offered quiet noises of comfort as he tried to see if anything else was injured, "IT'S ALRIGHT. I WON'T HURT YOU." He murmured, petting it's ashen skull. Hazy white eyelights looked at him unfocused and Edge cursed.

The sound of shouting grew louder and Edge snarled.

He didn't want to do this. He'd just decided not to, but it was the only way to save it's life or more importantly it's future. Quickly, hiding the movement from the approaching boat, Edge took out a thin but sturdy collar with the words _PROPERTY of SANCTUARY_ with his name etched underneath. He slipped it around the stunned merskeleton and it continued to blink, too dazed to do anything but make a confused noise at the sudden collar being locked around it's neck.

"I'M SORRY. I HAVE NO CHOICE IF I AM TO SAVE YOU." He said, knowing it was not enough. He would make this right, however it turned out.

He would save this creature from the humans but he could not stop them from spreading the word that a merskeleton had been found and claimed by a monster-owned sanctuary. Edge's only consolation to his unavoidable crime against his own morals was that this creature would not be alone, he would be among lamias and weres. And he would take care of it.

The merskeleton finally went still, sockets drooping closed, as shock and pain led it to unconsciousness. Edge pet it's skull one more time before standing and preparing to confront the humans who dared to harm what was now his.


	3. Judge and General

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a time for redemption. That time is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pre-Kedgeup.

"Your seat, General."

The servant bowed as Edge took his place at the long table and hurried to greet and guide the next guest. More servants bustled about the hall, most burdened with great silver platters of food while others catered to the more personal needs of the guests, fetching wine or waving large feathered fans. Most of the invited were nobles, all primly displaying their power with fine clothes and jewelry.

Edge could remember the two long tables filled with important members of council, ambassadors of neighboring kingdoms, and representatives of their people. Now it catered to the rich and spoiled.

Except for him.

King Asgore didn't dare exclude him from any event or celebration. As General of the Royal Guard, Edge held the military in his hands and they would follow him into the depths of Hell with surety of dusting. For far too long Asgore had neglected to consider his soldiers and Edge had proved himself their leader in more than title.

They were behind him… even in treason.

Edge took samplings from some of the platters the servants presented to him, nodding his thanks to each of them. The wide-eyed and timid smiles were frustrating to see. Edge's personal attending servant was treated with utmost respect. She had chosen to put herself at his mercy and serve any whim he may have; and he honored that. He'd nearly beheaded a noble for trying to 'persuade' the young Fuku into bed by goblet and sleeping powder.

He glanced behind him where the young fire elemental was standing tall and strong, clothed in light armor as any servant of his would have some form of protection, and holding a wine jug in her arms. He raised a hand and she stepped forward, pouring the rich blue wine into his glass.

"THANK YOU, FUKU."

She smiled, stepping back and standing behind him once more.

A sudden hush claimed the hall and Edge looked up. A small entourage of servants clad in white silk and veils walked a small figure toward the dais at the head of the dining hall. The Judge climbed the few steps as his servants filed neatly around him, waiting for orders. A small gesture and the servants bowed and half of them sat down around him while the rest gathered plates of food to share between them.

The Judge didn’t touch any of it, nor drink any refreshment.

Edge frowned. Curious. He looked down at his own goblet, quite literally his own and in it was his own stash of wine. Ensuring that it had not been tampered with. Was the Judge beginning to think the same way?

He stiffened as the Judge’s veiled skull turned toward him. From this far, it was impossible to tell, but the heavy weight he suddenly felt was unmistakable.

Edge had felt it only once before. On the day he was made General, Asgore had all but commanded he stand before the Judge. To be found empty of ill intent. At the time, he had been. He’d felt the powerful, ancient magic that was _Judgement_ and though it had driven him to his knees, he’d also stared back the entire time.

The Judge had given his approval with a single nod. Whilst the King, suddenly amicable and friendly once more had chattered away about how pleased he was, Edge had seen the pulsating gold magic fade to white.

The Judge, having completed his task replaced a band of black cloth over his sockets and turned away to return to his private living area beyond the Hall. Edge couldn’t help but stare after him, enthralled by the monster and the power he’d experienced. Just before he’d disappeared through the doorway to his chambers, the Judge had turned and given him a small smile as though he could see Edge watching.

It was the first and only time he had ever seen the face of the Judge. Soon after, the Judge began to wear a hood that hid all but a small enigmatic smile that never left his face.

Edge inclined his head just enough to be noticed if indeed, the Judge was watching him. A moment later, he got a small incline of the head of his own. How very strange, Edge wondered as he looked away, lest they be noticed communicating. Despite both bearing positions of power, Asgore had forbidden them from speaking to one another. Or perhaps it was _because_ of that.

The soft clamor died away entirely as the King swept in with thick robes and gleaming gold ornaments on his fingers and neck. Edge stood at attention as the rest of the guests rose from their seats as well. The room stood still as eyes fell on the Judge and his servants, all of them sitting; whether at the Judge’s feet or on the arms of his chair, they demurely ignored all but their master.

The King looked displeased but with a grand speech he ensnared the nobles with promises of contracts and deals to come. Then the King took his seat and the banquet began.

 

 

Edge ducked onto a terrace and took a deep breath. The sheer audacity of the nobility within Asgore’s circle was maddening. They complained of such trivial matters while their people suffered from truly horrible conditions. They had a responsibility to the monsters of the common folk and yet they threw their gold at every shiny piece of art or luxury that passed under their upturned noses.

He could only listen so long before he itched to draw his blade.

“General?”

Edge turned to see Fuku peering through the just slightly opaque clothe that separated the terraces to the main room, “WHAT IS IT?”

“Sir, there is someone who would like to speak with you.” She seemed slightly unnerved but her back was straight and her words steady; no fear.

He nodded to her and then turned back to the open night sky, the gardens below him, a mirror to his foul mood. They had been Queen Toriel’s pride and joy. Now they were a mere shadow of what they once were. Such a shame.

Grabbing the wine jug Fuku had thoughtfully left for him on the stone railing, he filled his goblet once more and drained half of it.

So much had fallen from its glorious height with the Queen’s absence. With Asgore at the core. His grip tightened dangerously around the goblet. His soldiers were depending on him to make it right…

Edge caught sight of movement to his left, a flash of white on the terrace next to his. His bone constructs shattered quietly from where he had summoned them just above the terrace, hidden in the dark.

"one might think you paranoid, General."

The quiet, mirthful voice was a surprise. He glanced over once, then Edge looked down at the wine he swirled in his goblet, "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

"i think you may be wiser than most."

Edge smiled into the sip of his personal wine supply, and then turned, bowing low at the waist, "IT IS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, JUDGE." He straightened and his amusement faltered.

The Judge was dressed impeccably as always, white cloth draped with silver pins and the large hood that dipped down to expose only a weary smile aimed at him. He knew beneath that hood were sockets, hidden by a black band, that could see all within a monster's SOUL. And within the small, petite bones was a power capable of toppling even kings should judgement fall upon them.

But there was an exhaustion in the Judge's posture that he'd never seen before.

"likewise, General." The Judge bowed his head in return though he had no obligation too.

Despite Asgore's complete reconstruction of the chain of command after his wife's self-exile, not even he could remove the Judge from his Hall. It was a position declared by magic itself. The castle had in fact been built _around_ the Hall. Unless the Judge lost the ability, he would remain.

Or if it died with him.

Edge wished he could coax the Judge to confide in him. The weariness was not unlike his own when he lost ground in his quiet ( _for now_ ) revolution.

He was the last word in justice but the common folk looked to this monster for justice first rather than their King. If Edge could simply know that the Judge might be sympathetic to his cause, that it would be justified or at the very least, he could complete his fight before facing _Judgement_.

But if the Judge did not agree, Edge knew he could be dust in moments and no one would say a word.

“DID YOU WISH TO SPEAK WITH ME?” Edge glanced back where the feast was still in full swing. “THE KING WILL NOT BE PLEASED WITH US.” The Judge might be able to risk breaking Asgore’s word but Edge had others counting on him. He could not afford to be too reckless; with the King only yards away.

“i think the King will need to get used to being displeased.”

Edge looked over sharply. The Judge stepped away from the railing, head bowed.

“JUDGE?”

“Sans.”

“I AM SORRY.”

The smile quirked up briefly into a grin, “and i am Sans.”

His breath caught in his throat. The Judge was old, sheltered but old. No one could remember his name. The King might have known, the Queen surely had, but neither had spoken it where others could hear if they did.

“SANS.” He tested and found it appealing.

The Judge, Sans, smiled just a bit brighter than before and held out a hand. A glow began to coalesce in his palm as he spoke, “you are not alone, General. there is a time for redemption. it has passed. and our people have suffered long enough.” The light solidified slowly, growing in length and forming a construct that resembled a long, thin fang with jagged edges.

Sans passed the construct to him and Edge took it with great reverence, admiring the weapon’s great craftmanship. It… looked like an actual fang, it was even curved.

“General.”

Edge snapped to attention, the word dripping with authority and power. The diminutive skeleton almost seemed to dwarf him somehow.

“let _Judgement_ be your sword, and justice your shield.”

Each word seemed to resonate with the weapon in his hand, making his hand tremble around its hilt. He could almost hear a loud roar in his ear.

By the time he snapped out of the daze of power he’d been suddenly engulfed in, he was alone. Sans was nowhere in sight but he caught the clothe barrier of the Judge’s terrace fluttering back into place. Edge lifted the weapon and watched faint glimmers of golden light cascade over its surface.

The hilt rumbled as he stroked the blade, almost as though pleased with his awe.

Edge took a deep breath and then watched it disappear into a thousand glimmers of light. He still felt its power and knew he need only think it and it would be back in his hand. A smirk crept over his face as he returned to the feast. He managed to keep a straight face and nodded and made polite conversation as the King cornered him later than night to boast about the delicacies and fine drink he had hoarded for this occasion.

Let the fool enjoy the rest of the night. It would be the last one Asgore ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews inspire~!

**Author's Note:**

> Questions, Comments, and Requests at [BlueDysania](http://bluedysania.tumblr.com/)


End file.
